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• hooker
  hooker

  noun

  a person or thing that hooks.
• Hooker
  Hooker

  noun

  Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

hooker

¹ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks.

2. Slang. prostitute.

3. Slang. a large drink of liquor.

4. Slang. a concealed problem, flaw, or drawback; a catch.

5. Rugby. a player who hooks the ball in the front line of scrummage.

6. (initial capital letter) a contemptuous term used to refer to an Amish Mennonite.

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hooker ² American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

Nautical.

1. Slang. any old-fashioned or clumsy vessel.

2. any fishing vessel working with hooks and lines rather than nets.

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Hooker ³ American  

[hook-er] / ˈhʊk ər /

noun

1. Joseph, 1814–79, Union general in the U.S. Civil War.

2. Richard, 1554?–1600, English author and clergyman.

3. Thomas, 1586?–1647, English Puritan clergyman: one of the founders of the colony of Connecticut.

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hooker ¹ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a person or thing that hooks

2. slang

   1. a draught of alcoholic drink, esp of spirits

   2. a prostitute

3. rugby the central forward in the front row of a scrum whose main job is to hook the ball

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Hooker ² British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. John Lee. 1917–2001, US blues singer and guitarist

2. Sir Joseph Dalton. 1817–1911, British botanist; director of Kew Gardens (1865–85)

3. Richard. 1554–1600, British theologian, who influenced Anglican theology with The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity (1593–97)

4. Sir William Jackson. 1785–1865, British botanist; first director of Kew Gardens: father of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker

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hooker ³ British  

/ ˈhʊkə /

noun

1. a commercial fishing boat using hooks and lines instead of nets

2. a sailing boat of the west of Ireland formerly used for cargo and now for pleasure sailing and racing

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Sensitive Note

The Mennonites were irreverently spoken of as Hookers , because they used hooks and eyes on their clothes instead of buttons.

Etymology

Origin of hooker¹

First recorded in 1560–70; in 1835–45 hooker ¹ for def. 2, an Americanism; hook ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of hooker²

First recorded in 1635–45; from Dutch hoeker, equivalent to hoek hook ¹ + -er -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hooker Hooker

Wales showed their fitness by scoring second-half tries from prop Rhys Carre, wing Josh Adams, hooker Ryan Elias and centre Eddie James.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Packer grabbed two tries in each half, while hooker Amy Cokayne crossed twice and Helena Rowland also dotted down.

From BBC ● May 9, 2026

When replacement Tigers' hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas turned over the ball, it seemed Leicester would take the money and kick to touch.

From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2026

Loughborough Lightning number eight Haineala Lutui, daughter of former Tonga, Worcester and Gloucester hooker Aleki, is rewarded for her fine form.

From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026

I wrote to my uncle to tell him I was safe; for, having said I was coming by the hooker, as she would not arrive, my family, I conjectured, might be alarmed at my non-appearance.

From Paddy Finn by Archibald Webb

Hooker Elliot Dee, left out by Tandy this summer, was the one Welsh player starting for the Barbarians and was denied a try in the left corner,.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The looks that walked down the runway also called upon the dream, soundtracked by a score that included blues icon John Lee Hooker and beloved French band Air.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026

Brian Hooker told CBS News shortly after his release that he wants to believe his wife is still alive and plans to go back out to look for her as soon as possible.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 24, 2026

Brian Hooker told police that he and his wife left Hope Town for Elbow Cay, in the Abaco Islands, on Saturday evening when she fell overboard, taking the boat's keys with her.

From BBC ● Apr. 8, 2026

Perhaps Hooker at last had recalled Lincoln’s admonition, “Beware of rashness.”

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Related Words

• prostitute